As shown in FIG. 1A, prior art electronic circuit breakers 100A used for arc fault and/or ground fault detection, such as Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) and Combination Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (CAFCIs), typically include a pigtail wire 102 that is used to connect to the panel board neutral, such as neutral bar. The pigtail wire 102 connects internally to the electronics of the electronic circuit breaker 100A. Certain single-pole and two-pole electronic residential electronic circuit breakers 100A may use mounting features, such as a mounting tab 103 on the load side of the circuit breaker 100A to help hold the circuit breaker 100A in position on a panel board.
In the depicted embodiment, the pigtail wire 102 may have a length of about 13 inch (33 cm) to about 20 inch (51 cm) of 12 AWG wire used to connect to the neutral bar on the panel board. The free end of the pigtail wire 102 may be secured into a neutral socket of the neutral bar, and may be held in place with a screw. During installation, the pigtail wire is unraveled, measured, cut to length, end stripped, and then manipulated into place in a neutral socket of the neutral bar. This is a very labor intensive process.
While circuit breakers have historically used a pigtail wire 102 to connect to the panel board neutral bar, recently some manufacturers have begun to use a plug-on connector, such as a C-clip 104 shown in FIG. 1B, to connect directly to a neutral bar of a panel board on the underside of the circuit breaker 100B. In this plug-on neutral connector design, the circuit breaker 100B is pushed directly onto a stab on the line side and directly onto the neutral bar of the panel board on the load side.
Existing pigtail neutral designs have a disadvantage of relatively high installation costs when an installer unravels, measures, cuts to length, strips the end of insulation, and then manipulates the pigtail wire 102 to insert the stripped end into a neutral socket of the neutral bar. Existing C-clip neutral connector designs, such as shown in FIG. 1B, have the disadvantage that once the circuit breaker is plugged onto the stab and neutral bar, there is limited ability to capture the breaker from coming off (becoming unplugged) or keep it from moving around.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved method of connecting the circuit breaker neutral to the neutral bar of the panel board.